ON TRIAL and Saffron - Loppen, Christiania, Denmark 2/2/01
From Aural Innovations #15 (April 2001)
I was really looking forward to this show as On Trial were going to play all the songs they planned to record the week after for their new CD. It was really cold out this night (-5C) so the crowd was not as large as it could have been but decent. Saffron were a Swedish three piece of organ, guitar/bass and drums. They played very 60's styled stuff, some of which reminded me of late 60's Deep Purple, without Richie Blackmore. Very cool stuff. About 65% of their stuff was really excellent, the rest was so so.
On Trial hit the stage around 11:45 and opened with a very spaced version of Slippin' and Slidin' and then ripped into That's Right, which is one they have been playing since the summer and is a real fast 60's jammer. Next up was a sort of ballad like tune called Blinded by the Sun. I had heard this one at the last gig as well. Cool song. Next up was a heavy new one called Poor Soul. Blood Butterfly was next and the only old song the band played this night. Next was So Close So Far, which was on the 4 track mind promo EP that was circulated to some people in August. Then two more songs I had not heard called Everything She Wants and Miles Away, both quite fast and heavy numbers. This new material is for sure the heaviest the band has every recorded. Downer was next and one of the band's heaviest stoner songs ever. Wow... Now the band was heading out into space. A really spacey thing called Moving way to Fast(??) went into the band's heaviest songs ever called Sonic Diver! The main set ended with a killer spaced version of Kolos, which is very Monster Magnet like in it's very stoned drone. Wow... The band came back for one encore of TV Eye by the Stooges which they ran directly into Starship by the MC5. It was a killer but shorter than usual show.
Awesome stuff. The new CD will be out later this year on Delerium in the UK and Cargo in Germany, and hopefully Tee Pee in the US. Also, look for the re-release of the HEAD 10" in a full LP format with some extra cover songs, including Citidel by the Rolling Stones. Also, New Day Rising, the band's last studio CD is out now in the US on Tee Pee records.
Reviewed by Scott Heller